The opposition MDC has castigated the decision by the government-run Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals to hike the fees for using its private wards.
A senior MDC official who spoke to New Zimbabwe said that the move is diabolic and slammed the government for doing nothing about it. The official is quoted as saying:
It defies logic that the government would allow such increases when the lowest paid civil servant takes home RTGS$350 per month.
It is diabolical and evil that the cost of medicine and hospital care has been increased to those levels.
No one in Zimbabwe is earning those salaries; civil servants are not earning those salaries.
It is a sign that the government no longer cares about the health of the common people. It is a death sentence. Health is already beyond the reach of many and this just makes a bad situation worse.
A memorandum released by the health institution dated June 11, 2019 reads as follows:
Following movements in the various economic factors, kindly note that with effect from 12 June 2019 private wards accommodation charges per day have been reviewed as follows: executive suite RTGS1500, big room RTGS$800, small room RTGS$600, Intensive Care Unit RTGS$800, High Dependency Unit RTGS$600 and maternity RTGS$600.